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Wildcats with tough test hosting Upperman

Posted
Friday, September 7, 2018 11:04 am

By SCOTT WILSON

As for Livingston Academy, the numbers don’t lie.

The LA Wildcats are 2-1 on the season with lopsided victories over White County and Cumberland County. Their only loss this year has been a competitive contest in Week Two with 6A power Cookeville. All in all, it’s been a good year so far for Livingston Academy.

But head coach Bruce Lamb knows all that means nothing when the Wildcats line up tonight with the Uppperman High School Bees, the sixth ranked team in Class 3A. UHS presents obstacles for Livingston on offense and defense, and Lamb said his team better be ready.

“The thing that sticks out to me about Upperman, when I see them on film, is just how physical everybody is,” Lamb said. “The play extremely hard and they really get after you. Their size allows them to deliver some licks.”

Upperman, undefeated in three contests this season, will visit Livingston Academy tonight for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

The Wildcats will be entering the game off a huge 41-3 victory over Cumberland County, where Livingston Academy excelled on the ground and through the air. Lamb said he believed that win allowed LA to right some wrongs in the ground game, but the Wildcats also made big gains on the arm of quarterback Will McDonald.

All that will come in very handy tonight as the Wildcats prepare for their biggest challenge of the season. The Bees opened the year with a victory over Cookeville and followed that with wins over DeKalb County and Smith County.

“Upperman has two really good kids – Donoven McCallister and Blake Metzgar – that run the ball well,” Lamb said. “I think Upperman’s offense is very good. McCallister can throw the ball and he’s got a couple of really good receivers. They have talent everywhere on the field and for a defensive coordinator, it is like you have to pick your poison.”

Lamb said the key for trying to stop the Bees is to not give up the big play. Good defenses, he believes, will try to make sure Upperman has to huddle up, not giving them the ability to make the big play. The more plays UHS must run, the better it is for the Wildcats.

“We are playing better against the pass right now than we are against the run,” the coach said. “We’ve struggled in the past this year and I think right now we’re still trying to find our groove. We’ve moved some kids around, done some different things to try and find our niche.”

Offensively, Livingston Academy has been a machine. The Wildcats have scored 83 points over three games and have scored at least 35 points in each of their wins. Lamb said his squad will have to battle to keep those offensive numbers going.

“(The Upperman defense) is very fast and physical. Their middle linebacker is extremely good and the defensive backs fly to the ball,” Lamb explained. “It is going to be difficult for us to do anything against them because of how fast they are. The guys up front control the middle with their size, so for us, you really don’t see much weakness in their defense.”

Lamb said it should be a good atmosphere for tonight’s game, especially since Upperman is not that far away and the Bees, normally, bring a big crowd.

“We haven’t come close to playing up to our potential this season. I think these kids have not found ‘it’ yet. Something hasn’t clicked with them yet,” Lamb said. “I am excited to see what it’s going to be like when we get there, and it does click.”